$300,000 Robbed From Armored Car

By The New York Times

Jan. 31, 2014

Three men in heavy winter clothing robbed an armored-truck guard at gunpoint on Friday around noon, stealing about $300,000 in cash, the authorities said.

The guard had just finished a regularly scheduled pickup of deposits from an HSBC branch at 82-57 Broadway in Elmhurst, Queens, when he was accosted, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. One of the robbers could be seen holding a gun to the guard’s face in surveillance photos released by the agency.

The suspects sprayed mace in the guard’s face before running off with a “significant amount” of cash, the F.B.I. said. An official with knowledge about the robbery, who was not authorized to speak about it, confirmed the amount stolen.

The guard was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center for treatment.

The robbers ran to a getaway vehicle that investigators said was described as a dirty navy blue or black Ford Explorer that was missing a front license plate.

Spokesmen for HSBC Bank U.S.A. and GardaWorld, the armored car company, said the companies were cooperating with the investigation. GardaWorld is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robbers and recovery of the stolen money.